International Airport Summit 2024

Agenda

#IARSummit

The Steigenberger Airport Hotel Amsterdam

13th — 14th November 2024

Day 1

13th November

View Day 2 Agenda

8.30 am

Registration & refreshments

9.00 am

Welcome introduction

Holly Miles, Editor, International Airport Review

Trends Shaping the Industry

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Opening Keynote

9.10 am

Keynote CEO forum:

What’s keeping them awake at night?

An airport CEO role is not for the faint hearted. CEOs are responsible for the mammoth tasks of operating an airport and ensuring a good passenger experience; driving revenue growth; managing operational disruptions and ensuring regulatory compliance, all while safeguarding their airport from external threats and being scrutinised by the press and the surrounding community as the public ‘face’ of the airport.

Airport CEO’s must manage responsibilities and challenges while facing the ever-changing socio-economic environment of the industry’s affairs. Panellists will address challenges they have faced in trying to remain financially and socially viable in tough circumstances, including:

Balancing the pursuit of growth with sustainability goals
Ensuring operational resilience in the face of disruption
Attracting investment to meet future capability and capacity demands

Fireside Chat

9.50 am

Doubling the size of the industry by 2041? How?

The rise in passengers is outpacing the capacity of airports. Airports globally have had to expand terminals because they’re at capacity, but not all airports are that lucky, and must work on efficiency and investment in new technologies and digitalisation. Find out how to safely and affordably expand the industry to accommodate growth of the world’s population and airport capacity. Join this session to hear airports discuss:

Strategies you can adopt to keep up with increasing passenger numbers
Building with bytes, not bricks, in order to sweat existing assets
The future plans of a leading airport with a big growth trajectory

Panel Discussion

10.10 am

Future workforce:

Attracting and retaining staff to build a strong pipeline of talent

The industry has become less attractive to candidates – with a reputation for poor pay and ‘polluting the planet’. With this in mind, how are airport leaders finding ways to attract, train and retain, the next generation and build the skills needed in the future? By addressing the key challenges and opportunities in skill development and workforce planning, stakeholders can collaborate to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of airports in an evolving landscape. Join this session to hear airports discuss:

The tech reshaping roles and responsibilities within airport operations
Initiatives bridging the gap between academic programmes and industry demand
How airports can invest in upskilling and reskilling initiatives to prepare their workforce for the integration of automation and robotics technologies?

Panel Discussion

10.50 am

DEIB:

Improve business decision making by creating an exceptional work environment

The aviation industry is a great enabler of socio-economic growth for local communities and regions. Fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) is a strategic necessity given the critical role that airports play as hubs of connectivity and gateways to the world. Airport workforces should reflect the diverse communities they serve to ensure that all passengers and stakeholders feel welcome, safe, and valued. Join this session to hear airports discuss:

Strategies airports are employing to promote diversity within the workplace and create a safe space to empower and retain talent
Effective recruitment, leadership, and allyship tactics
Addressing intersectional challenges and promote equity for underrepresented groups, driving systemic change

11.10 – 11.40 am

Networking Break

Environmental Sustainability

Panel Discussion

11.40 am

Sustainable expansion:

How can airports grow operations whilst protecting the planet?

As we continue to experience freak weather events such as extreme heat and drought, heavy wind, rain and snow, airport infrastructure and operations are put at risk. In this session we find out if airports can be sustainable while expanding operations. Our expert speakers will leverage their own experiences about how to expand operations, while simultaneously lessening environmental impact and meeting capacity needs. Join this session to hear airports discuss:

How to expand operations while reducing emissions
Go green with social, environmental and financial sustainability
Safeguard the health and wellbeing of employees and passengers

Brought to you by

Fireside Chat

12.20 pm

Best practice:

Disaster preparedness in the face of climate change

As the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events continue to rise, airports face heightened risks and challenges in ensuring operational resilience and safeguarding passenger safety. Examine your unique vulnerabilities in the face of climate-related disasters – hurricanes, floods, wildfires and extreme heatwaves – and assess your own preparedness measures. Identify gaps in resilience planning and devise strategies for mitigating the impact on airport operations and infrastructure. Join this session to hear an airport speaker discuss:

Lessons learned from loss and damage
Disaster response and recovery planning – emergency protocols, evacuation procedures and coordination mechanisms
Integrating climate resilience considerations into airport infrastructure design, maintenance practices, and long-term planning processes

Fireside Chat

12.40 pm

Powering sustainable aviation:

New airport infrastructures to generate clean energy on-site

As the aviation industry commits to reducing its carbon footprint and mitigating environmental impact, airports play a pivotal role in leading the transition towards renewable energy solutions. Airport energy hubs can eventually act as energy distribution facilities, supplying clean energy to adjacent businesses and neighbouring communities.

In this fireside chat, we explore the innovative approaches and sustainable technologies shaping the future of airport operations, with a focus on electrification, solar power, hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel. In this session, we will discuss.

Installing solar panels, wind turbines and geothermal systems
Modelling and designing how to store and deliver scalable and commercially viable on-site green hydrogen
Transitioning to and storing sustainable low- and zero-carbon fuels and catering for future demand

1.00 pm

Networking Lunch

Panel Discussion

2.00 pm

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF):

Opportunities and implications

Despite being a promising solution, more is required to make sustainable aviation fuel accessible and affordable. Currently, new technologies surrounding the fuel make it risky and experimental, leaving many investors unwilling to finance the industry and therefore the production costs remain high. Discover:

Current production capacity and availability
How airports can be involved in this transition
Policies and regulations needed to incentivise investments in SAFs and accelerate deployment

Fireside Chat

2.40 pm

Innovating our way to net-zero and zero waste

Airports are galvanised to reduce their carbon footprints and minimise their impact on the environment. Here we’ll explore the opportunities that exist for cross-sector collaboration and partnerships to accelerate progress towards net-zero and zero waste and how organisations can leverage collective expertise and resources to overcome challenges and drive change. Join this session to hear airports discuss:

Driving progress towards net-zero emissions and zero waste
Transitioning from a linear ‘take-make-waste’ model to a circular economy approach – resource efficiency, reuse and recycling
What innovations did not deliver, what was expected, where did they fail?

Fireside Chat

3.00 pm

Ensuring biodiverse airports of the future

Envision a future where cutting-edge technology and environmental conservation converge to create airports that serve as thriving ecosystems. Our expert panel will discuss the groundbreaking concepts behind transforming airports into havens for biodiversity, where green spaces, natural habitats, and sustainable practices coexist with modern infrastructure. Airports play a critical role in preserving our planet’s natural heritage, promoting environmental resilience, and setting a global standard for sustainable development. Join to hear airport leaders discuss how technological innovation can preserve and enhance wildlife within airport environments. Discover:

The latest advancements in technology that are transforming airports into biodiversity-friendly spaces and how these tools are being used to protect local species and reduce the environmental impact of aviation

Smart infrastructure solutions, such as noise-reducing barriers, eco-friendly lighting, and the use of biomimicry in airport design, all aimed at creating harmonious coexistence between aviation and nature

How to lead the charge in preserving wildlife while maintaining operational efficiency

Passenger Experience

Fireside Chat

3.20 pm

How do we cater for an evolving passenger demographic?

As the global aviation landscape continues to evolve, so too do the demographics of air travellers. Airports are seeing more mature travellers, passengers with reduced mobility and families travelling than ever before and as people of different backgrounds travel, they bring with them their own preferences and requirements of how they’d like to travel. Airports are becoming increasingly aware of the need to ensure their airports are inclusive to everyone.

Join us for an insightful discussion as industry leaders and experts delve into the challenges and opportunities associated with meeting the needs of an increasingly varied passenger demographic.

Tailor your services, amenities and facilities for different passenger demographics – families, seniors, millennials and travellers with disabilities
Insights from demographic data and market research to inform passenger-centric strategies
Implement measures to improve accessibility and enhance the travel experience for all

3.40 – 4.10 pm

Networking Break

Fireside Chat

4.10 pm

From booking to boarding – creating seamless CX

Traditional airports organise in distinctive silos that separate the procurement, management and operations of the network infrastructure. Different stakeholders within the airport ‘own’ each of these systems and work to their individual ends to develop solutions that work within their silos of responsibility. However, this often leads to a fragmented airport experience and the nodes between each part of the passenger journey are not always as smooth as they could be. In order to promote a truly seamless airport experience, each department must be in constant collaboration with each other and always have the passenger at the heart of all their decisions. How can you:

Unify processes to make the passenger experience seamless?
Encourage cross-party communication and enforce a shared vision?
Promote an open culture of innovation across departments so that innovation is not ‘owned’ solely by one department?

Fireside Chat

4.30 pm

Customer first:

Business intelligence driving hyper-personalisation

Customers have come to expect tailored services not as an exception, but as a rule. And businesses that nail personalisation enjoy a boost in customer loyalty, and by extension in revenue streams. This opportunity should not be lost on airports, given the wealth of information they are sitting on. Business intelligence (BI) can play a crucial role in unlocking true data potential and translating valuable insights into an actionable strategy to monetise customer satisfaction. Join this session to discuss:

Using data to understand the wants and needs of your customers and using it to deliver a service
Explore AI-powered personalised wayfinding to real-time flight updates and seamless check-in processes
Elevate the customer journey and create a truly ‘individual experience’

Panel Discussion

4.50 pm

Revolutionising the retail and F&B experience

Airports have evolved from mere transportation hubs to dynamic destinations offering a wide array of retail and food & beverage (F&B) experiences. Join us for an insightful discussion as industry leaders explore innovative strategies, emerging trends and disruptive technologies reshaping the landscape of airport retail and F&B offerings, and share their perspectives on enhancing the traveller experience, driving revenue growth, and staying ahead in a competitive market. Join this session to hear airports discuss:

Leveraging data analytics and AI to offer personalised retail experiences
Experiential retail and immersive experiences – mobile apps, digital kiosks, and e-commerce
Redefine F&B with innovative dining concepts, celebrity chef partnerships, and locally sourced menu offerings

5.30 pm

Networking drinks in the expo area

View Day 2 Agenda

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